The White Flag
by Cloister
Summary: -Blue Moon is Up-  Losing a critical mission means more than a quick tip and chance to restart the fight. It means Black Hole wins. It means the surrender of Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet, and Green Earth to the very enemy invading their lands.
1. Fallen Star: Orange Star Surrenders

Author's Note: This was originally a story about what it might be like if Yellow Comet lost to Black hole. A reviewer (Pokefanficwriter92) suggested doing something similar with the other countries, so now it's a little collection of game over scenarios for each nation. The following chapters are all their own separate stories and aren't connected, just to prevent confusion. Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Fallen Star: Orange Star Surrenders<strong>

Commander Flak of the Black Hole Army was a hair trigger away from breaking out in a rampage. Despite all the headway he had made trying to conquer Orange Star he had been beaten back to his factory. He had become very familiar with the source of his problems in the form of Orange Star COs, Andy, Max, Sami and Nell. Getting his troops in to loot the country had been easy, but holding the ground he took over was another story entirely. As soon as Orange Star got mobilized he had suffered a streak of humiliating defeats. Losing that badly, that quickly only meant one thing. Adder would soon come knocking on his door.

"You look like you're having a rough time, Flak."

Flak looked up from his beat up desk in the control room of the Black Hole Factory. Even though it was a secluded spot anchored above the rows and rows of assembly lines and staging points, nothing could hide him from Adder's pale face. Talking to that snake was the last thing he needed... but even he knew a superior officer could not be ignored.

"Something you want Adder? I'm busy!" Flak slammed his desk.

"I see you've made a mess of things here," Adder said condescendingly. "Hawke wants to know what you're going to do about this little catastrophe in the making. You do know that all of this makes it to Lord Sturm eventually."

The mention of Black Hole's supreme commander drained the anger out of Flak in a hurry. The thought of answering to someone as powerful as Sturm made him break out in a sweat. With his strength, there wasn't a whole lot Flak was afraid of ... but Sturm was on another level entirely. And the leader of Black Hole did not accept excuses.

"I'm gonna handle it, Adder. Should you even be here?" Flak pointed. "Aren't you supposed to take out Yellow Comet or something?"

"Heh heh heh... I have time to direct my subordinates. The Yellow Comet fools are still trying to string two tanks together. Besides, you shouldn't worry about my business."

A Black Hole soldier rushed into the factory control room. They were easily identified by their space suits and otherworldly snout faces.

"Commander Flak! Orange Star is here! They've launched an attack! What are your orders?"

Flak was a deer caught in the headlights. He never committed to plans unless Lash was around to talk him into it, so he certainly wasn't ready for another round with Orange Star. But she wasn't around to bail him out of this one. Adder just crossed his arms and smiled.

"Looks like the natives are knocking on your door. They sound restless."

Flak turned to the soldier. "Hey worm! Is this place up and running yet?"

"Sir! The engineers reported 79% efficiency!"

That was good enough for Flak. He didn't really have anything else going.

"Start it up now! I... I won't lose! I'll crush em'!"

Adder shook his head and turned to leave. "Heh heh heh. You had better not lose Flak. I'll have every report on this battle forwarded to Hawke. I'm looking forward to it."

The soldier rushed off to scramble the base. Soon the factory sprung to life as lines and lines of mechanical arms began to build Neotanks, bombers, and any other unit Flak's army could possibly muster at the moment. Meanwhile Flak dug through the mountain of scattered papers on his desk for a map of the surrounding area. The anger from losing so many times rushed straight to his head and he pounded his desk so hard he broke it in two.

"I'll crush em'!" Flak repeated as if saying it enough times would make it true.

* * *

><p>Andy, Max, and Sami were deep into their attack on the Black Hole Factory, but they were finding the mass production capabilities more than they bargained for. They studied maps of the battlefield in a bookstore that acted as their HQ for the attack, and found they were horribly outnumbered. The news coming in from the front lines was not good. The more they tried to advance on the factory, the heaver the resistance their men encountered. Flak poured a never ending line of reinforcements that just got worse as the battle carried on. Their only hope was to crack the pipeline that fueled the factory. If they couldn't do that...<p>

"Flak is really ticking me off!" Max exclaimed.

"And we can't even get close to his base." Andy added.

"Focus guys," Sami said. "We have to crack the pipe seam Nell told us about. Flak has too many units to meet head on. They're just going to keep coming."

They had learned a few days into the attack that the Achilles heel of the factory was the massive pipeline connected to it. Although the pipe itself was nearly indestructible, the seams connecting sections of pipe together was not.

"Then my plan to hit em' up front isn't going to do us any good." Max realized.

"We'll just have to send everything we have up north and try to break that pipeline."

Andy nodded. "We better hurry then. This is looking bad."

Sami moved over to the radio and started to relay orders when more bad news came in. Her eyes went wide as she rushed back over to the map.

"Three Neotank divisions just exited the factory." She pointed.

Max and Andy visibly recoiled from the news. They took the hard turn of events and began to look lost. Sami continued to work out the new intel on their map.

"Oh no... Those Neotanks are heading toward our airport." She gasped.

"We hardly have enough men to hold down our HQ much less that landing strip!" Max pounded the table.

The three of them realized that their best hope was a lone base stuck between two rivers. And it was already getting hammered by helicopters and bombers. For a second, Sami considered retreat. It was one desperate battle where their best plan was a hope and a prayer. Max and Andy looked like the thought had crossed their minds. But they all remembered that if they could win here, Black Hole would have to make a full retreat from Orange Star and their country would be liberated.

"It's now or never guys." Sami said quietly.

Max laughed. "No way. We can't back down now."

"We've come this far. If we work together, we can do this." Andy agreed.

They nodded, and Sami sent one last order to every remaining unit. Head north. Take out the pipe seam at all costs.

* * *

><p>Nell received the bad news about their assault on the factory a few days later where she learned Andy, Max and Sami had been defeated and captured. She poured over the reports and found that Flak's tactics had not changed, but the sheer volume of units put out by his factory allowed him to do what he did best, launch full frontal assaults with abandon. Three of Orange Star's best COs were now prisoners of the enemy. Nell now had the monumental task of pulling together their remaining forces and beat back the enemy after a terrible defeat. But now she had to do it alone, and the factory they failed to destroy was still operating at full capacity.<p>

Between facing off with Flak's rebounding army, she launched rescue attempts to break Andy, Max, and Sami free. If she could even bring one of them back it would have helped the war effort tremendously. But these attempts were met with failure. And by the next rescue operation, her subordinates had been moved to Blue Moon. The factory doubled Flak's army by the week, and his forces were everywhere. Nell countered him the best she could, but after every Orange Star victory he kept coming back for more. To limit casualties, she pulled back her forces little by little until only the capital was left standing. Materials, supplies, and morale dwindled to dangerous levels. And one day in the command room, she realized that they only had one option left.

Nell called an emergency meeting to the command room and stood at the head of a long table now occupied by Orange Star's remaining officers. She tapped the end of the table with her instructor's rod and took a deep breath. The months of tireless defense against Flak's assault had completely exhausted her.

"I've read all the reports and come to the decision that we can no longer wage war with the enemy. In order to prevent heavy military and civilian causalities... I have come to the decision to surrender to Black Hole."

As she expected, the announcement was met with full opposition. Weary officers and bleary eyed captains were not ready to give up yet.

"Commander Nell, with all due respect, we can't give in to Black Hole!" A man in the back protested.

"We're not done yet!"

She nodded. "I know how you feel. I would never suggest that the men and women of Orange Star lacked the courage to defend their country. We have the will to fight... but we no longer have the means. Ammo shortages are everywhere. Food will quickly follow next. And Flak has cut off our supply lines."

The room of Orange Star officers understood that much. Flak's army had become a tidal wave of tanks and bombers ever since they failed to shut down his factory. Even though his tactics were suicidal at best, constantly launching direct assaults against heavily defended positions... he never stopped coming. Nell knew this better than anyone having led countless battles trying to hold off his forces.

"I said we should surrender." She repeated. "But I never said we should give up. Our military will be taken apart... but we never have to accept their occupation. With a little luck, the other countries will fend off Black Hole. They may come to our aid."

"Commander Nell, I think it's too risky to count on the other nations to help us." A woman at the head of the table spoke up. "Our relationship with them is tenuous at best since the last war. And if you expect Olaf to march all the way from Blue Moon to help Orange Star..."

Nell found herself smiling. "We've worked together in the past. We have a common enemy. Hopefully, that will be enough."

She paused to rub her eyes.

"The capital is all we have left. You know what kind of commander Flak is. If we try to hold him off here, there is no doubt he will tear apart the city with his reckless tactics. And we've lost enough in this war already."

The officers in the command room traded glances. They began to look tired and lost their resistance to Nell's plan.

"As of this moment, you are all dismissed from your command. You may remain or do as you please. It has been an honor serving."

With that, the meeting was over. The officers cleared out to think about their situation. Nell remained until she was the only one in the command room and sat down in one of the chairs. She was so tired, but there was only one thing that crossed her mind. Her fabled luck had finally run out.

* * *

><p>Flak accepted Orange Star's surrender as gracefully as he possibly could with a stupid grin stuck to his face. His expression never changed once during the whole scene. Nell met him on the outskirts of the capital where his men slapped her in handcuffs and took her away. He watched Nell perform a walk of shame all the way to the waiting Transport Copter. That woman who had nearly ruined his entire invasion had finally given up. It only took him months of repeatedly throwing his troops up against her army... but he had done it. Without delay, he took Orange Star's capital. He chuckled the whole time and probably sounded like a crazy man to his troops but he didn't care. He had won.<p>

He was busy turning Orange Star's main base into his HQ when a soldier rushed in to announce that Hawke had arrived. Usually when Hawke showed up it was after he made a big mistake, so he had nearly conditioned himself to get nervous. But this time he just laughed and found himself rushing out to the tarmac to meet the arriving transport copter. The stupid grin he developed when Nell surrendered returned to his face.

"Hey, Hawke!" Flak greeted with a wave.

Hawke stepped out of the helicopter, stoic as ever.

"I heard you conquered Orange Star. You understand I had to confirm this myself."

"Yeah! I sure did. I crushed em' good! Adder didn't even want to stick around. The look on his ugly face was perfect."

"You can imagine his surprise... well, our surprise. This has been a strange turn of events."

The grin on Flak's face melted away. He stared dumbly as he mulled over Hawke's words.

"What do you mean you're surprised? Didn't you tell me to take over Orange Star?"

"Yes. But I never expected you to win, Flak."

The flat delivery didn't help Flak's confidence as his superior openly cut down his greatest victory. He expected more congratulation from steamrolling Orange Star and capturing four enemy COs. It was well known that Lord Sturm had it out for them ever since the last war. He thought doing what their boss couldn't would have felt better. His mind struggled to grind the reality into what he pictured before.

"You didn't... what... Hey!" Flak balled his fists and grit his teeth."I don't get it! What are you talking about?"

"You were only supposed to slow them down so Lash, Adder, and I could conquer the other nations. Orange Star would have certainly interfered if we did nothing."

"So I was what? Cannon fodder? A distraction?"

"Yes." Hawke answered directly.

There was no way around it. Flak was feeling confused and angry at the same time. If it was Adder telling him this he would have already exploded from rage. Then, right before the thought crossed his mind to pound Hawke's emotionless face in, he smiled. There was no need to get angry. He had already proved all of them wrong.

"Ha! You thought I was just some dumb grunt! Well I showed you! I showed all of you! That's Flak power! No one messes with me!"

Hawke was unmoved, although it would take the end of the world or something more serious to squeeze an expression out of him.

"Don't misunderstand me, Flak. We work for Black Hole. We all play our part. Pride has nothing to do with achieving victory."

Flak found himself shaking his fist.

"Then why, Hawke? Why'd you even bother promoting me if I was just some speed bump for Orange Star? You better make some sense!"

"I needed your simplicity. Not only in your tactics but your personality. Lash is brilliant but completely unpredictable. Who knows how long she'll follow orders when it comes to her games? And Adder... his codename is a snake for a reason."

"So... what?" Flak found himself confused.

"You're completely predictable, Flak. For better or worse. Although, I'll have to reconsider that because... I never could have predicted this."

Hawke gestured to the massive Black Hole occupational force preparing to set up position in Orange Star's capital. Flak looked around, reminding himself of his victory. The fact that he actually won. He beat that grease monkey Andy. He evened the odds with that ape Max. And Sami, the woman with the special forces. They thought they were so smart. They called him a thug. He showed them... and that was enough.

"Ha! Who cares! I beat Orange Star and captured Nell! And I did it my way! Brute force!" Flak pounded his knuckles together.

Hawke shook his head. "I'll give you a week. Once you're done here, report to Green Earth."

The conversation was over. Hawke had seen enough and headed back to his transport copter. As he climbed in, he leaned back out.

"By the way, Flak. You may have captured Nell, but it's a stretch to say you beat her. Have you bothered to check your causalities?"

Flak was silent.

"Uh... no." He scratched his chin.

"You should. They're staggering."


	2. Winter of Lash: Blue Moon Surrenders

**The Winter of Lash: Blue Moon Surrenders**

In the depths of her headquarters, Lash was busy putting the finishing touches on one of her latest plans. All her pieces were in place and her enemy had taken the bait. The only thing left to do was wait for the right moment to pull the switch and set things into motion. She could barely contain herself at the edge of the table, knelt down as if ready to pounce on something. Even though the wait was killing her, she kept with it long enough for the right moment. She reached over to a nearby remote control and flicked a switch. A whirring sound filled the room as a board game made of a Rude Goldberg device sprung to life. After a number of unlikely chain reactions, a cage fell down on a toy plastic mouse. Lash threw her hands up into the air with a triumphant cry.

"Yay! I win! Tee hee hee!"

A victory lap around her control room was cut short as she turned to find one of her soldiers waiting nearby. He had been hovering over her shoulder for awhile, and it was easy to ignore him. But now he was wringing his hands and stirring nervously. He had become annoying.

"What do you want?" Lash demanded. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"But Mistress Lash... what about the engagement with Blue Moon?" The Soldier pleaded.

Lash turned her head just a little more to see the monitors in the control room showing her troops trading fire with Blue Moon. She had forgotten about that plan. It had gotten lost in the intricate machine she spent the last few hours building on her desk to catch a colorful plastic mouse. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"So what? Can't you guys handle anything? Just wipe them out or something."

"Or something?" The soldier repeated dumbfounded. "But they're attacking really aggressively and the weather is turning nasty..."

"What? Do I have to clean up every mess you guys get into? That's no fun!"

"But Mistress Lash! You started this fight!" He protested.

She paused. The whiny solider had a point, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Oh yeah. Tee hee hee. I guess that geezer with the beard is mad I blew up his hometown."

In her opinion it was an improvement. Before she set up shop, Olaf's hometown had been a lot of boring streets with a ton of boring houses and too many boring people. The location was perfect to shake things up with a number of projects she had desperately wanted to field test. It was a secluded enough town that Adder or Flak couldn't bother her with their dumb problems, and the end result was a month or two of solid test data she couldn't wait to process. And then Blue Moon showed up and their leader Olaf had totally blown his stack over all the damage. Lash looked over the map of the area and shrugged. The terrain was scrambled like a bad egg, but it was way more fun than before.

"I don't care what he says. My playground is great!" She decided.

"But what about Blue Moon?" The soldier reminded her.

"Fine. I'll beat their stupid army. So what's the old guy doing?"

"What is he doing? He's charging his whole army right at us!" The soldier reported, on the verge of hysteria.

The news that Blue Moon's highest ranking CO was bearing down on them like a bull didn't phase Lash. She turned to her board game and, as quickly as she had built it, shoved the whole thing off her desk and brought out a stack of blue prints. The soldier pleading for her help fidgeted back and forth like he had to go to the bathroom, desperate for any sort of leadership. Lash just smiled.

"Tee hee hee! This'll be fun!"

* * *

><p>Commander Grit of Blue Moon watched Olaf's army scramble around like chickens with their heads cut off. As soon as any soldier, tank, or artillery unit was ready to go they ran off without so much as asking where they were going or what position they were supposed to attack. It was hard to miss from the third floor of the office they had turned into their HQ. The whole scene reminded him of the last great war when Olaf was a little too pompous and blind for his own good. At this rate, beating Black Hole out of the disaster area that was Olaf's hometown looked grim. Their forces were just going to keep running into Lash's well fortified position like cows herded off a cliff.<p>

"This don't sit right with me..." Grit muttered.

He turned away from the window and looked across the room to find Olaf raging like a wolverine, ordering his forces to march forward and tear Black Hole apart. No matter how impressive the speech sounded, it just meant charging forward blindly. Grit figured a blind man with no military experience could do a better job at this rate. The problem was, he didn't know if he could talk Olaf down after what Lash did to his hometown. The place was more twisted than a hangman's knot.

"Commander Grit, sir! Is there anything I can do?"

Grit shifted his view downward to find Colin, their youngest commander, standing at attention ready to do whatever he possibly could. The boy's uniform was almost too big for him, but he had drive, determination, and there was a lot of potential in the kid's management sense. Sometimes a war hinged on money just as much as it did able soldiers.

"Aw, not right now," Grit said. "His beardedness is on a tear. I'd rather talk to a momma bear defending her children than get in the way of that."

Colin continued to stand at attention, much to Grit's annoyance.

"Try to relax, son. We got bigger problems than keeping up appearances."

It took awhile, but Colin eventually lightened up enough to put his hand down from a position to salute.

"Sir, what's the problem? Nothing serious I hope."

"You're too young for this. But Olaf is falling back into some bad habits. I got a real bad feelin' about this battle."

The two of them watched Olaf carry on, barely containing his rage over the fate of his hometown. His orders did not change: attack, and keep up the pressure on Lash's forces.

"There's got to be something we can do, sir!" Colin said.

Grit wished he could explain to Colin that he'd been down this road before. Back when Olaf didn't think twice about doing favors for Sturm, the man's stubbornness could be like an impenetrable wall. A lot like what was going on now.

"Listen, son. I want you to withdraw your forces back to the capital," Grit said slowly.

"What?" Colin reeled. "But sir, I should be here to assist Commander Olaf!"

"I said listen, 'cause this is an order. If things go south here, we need someone who can lead Blue Moon."

Colin took a moment to realize what Grit was suggesting. The color almost drained from his face. He tried to respond but broke into a stutter.

"Lead Blue Moon? But... I... I'm just..."

"Look, you lack some confidence but I got the feelin' you have a killer instinct in there somewhere." Grit smiled. "Now go on. I'll try to talk Olaf down before he makes a fool of himself. But just in case, we need a plan B. Now git."

Reluctantly, Colin saluted and quickly exited the HQ to attend to his forces. Grit straightened his hat, took a deep breath, and approached Olaf. He waited a while before trying to get a word in.

"Crush those villains! What they've done to our land is unforgivable!" Olaf barked.

"Hey, Olaf."

As Grit expected, Olaf whipped around with his face turning as red as molten steel.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"We need to talk about your plan."

"You fool! This is no time for a strategy meeting!"

"But you're sending your men out there like cattle. I know you're all worked up-"

"Worked up? I'm infuriated!"

Olaf gestured to what little information they had on the devastated area. Lines had been drawn, redrawn, erased, outlined, drawn again as information trickled in. Roads had been rearranged, mountains shifted, entire tracts of land turned into ocean. Terrain had become a harsh unforgiving mess. Grit tried to ease in his next words.

"I know this was your hometown. I ain't saying you don't have the right to be angry."

"Get to the point, Grit!" Olaf growled.

"You're blowing your top like a volcano. Runnin' headlong after what's-her-face isn't going to make your town right."

"Lash! That little monster's name is Lash! She is going to pay for this!"

Grit took another deep breath. "Well Lash knows this area better than we do. Her boys have the angles covered. We need to slow it down and do some catchin' up."

"I won't wait another second! My home, Grit! This battlefield used to be my home!"

"You think we don't know that?" Grit stared hard. "The men and women in this army know what it's like to have their front yard turned into a shooting gallery. We're all in this together. But there ain't no sense gettin' blind with anger. You're missin' things!"

"I haven't missed anything!" Olaf shouted back.

The two locked stares until Grit turned an eye toward the map of the battlefield and put his finger down on the lower area.

"Is that a port?" He asked out loud.

One of the officers running to and fro around the headquarters came to a dead stop and saluted.

"Yes sir! Whatever Black Hole did to this area, the port is stuck in a small lake."

"Who cares about the blasted port?" Olaf raged with his hands balled in fists.

The communications officer came running in white faced with panic. She nearly tripped on the way in and had nothing good to report.

"Sir! Somehow Black Hole built a battleship in that lake!"

The news swept through the HQ and nearly brought everything to a stop. A battleship in that spot meant Black Hole could fire with impunity in the center of the battlefield. The base they were trying to secure would be pulverized in a few days. Olaf's anger flipped into a look of absolute shock. Grit just shook his head.

"It's about to get real ugly." He muttered.

* * *

><p>With a single battle, Colin found himself as the commander of the entire Blue Moon Army. Just as Grit had feared, Lash trounced their forces and took both Grit and Olaf prisoner. Strange weapon tests continued in the town they were unable to liberate. Back at the capital, Colin found himself trying to fill the shoes of two men who had served in Blue Moon longer than he had been alive. Mission briefings had become awkward parades of men and women twice his size asking him for orders. They were supportive and always made their opinions clear, but it didn't change the fact that ultimately, Colin had the final word. The pressure was immense. He had felt uneasy just learning from Olaf and Grit. Trying to replace them was unbearable.<p>

The war room at the capital had become Colin's daily nightmare. He knew that his decision on how to move around Blue Moon's forces would decide victory or defeat. And his opponent was Lash, an unpredictable, reckless force that thought war was fun and games. Every month it was a new experimental weapon that froze men solid, turned the sky purple, or worse He could barely keep his hands from shaking as he flipped through intelligence reports. A number of officers waited nearby... but he couldn't remember their names. He was far too nervous for that.

"Commander, we have confirmed reports of Black Hole building some kind of missile in the west," A female officer said.

"They also have some kind of laboratory in the east."

"Lash has also been spending some time making trips to the southwest for some unknown reason."

Colin could see that in the files but he felt frozen. It seemed like only yesterday since he graduated from the academy. He thought of his sister and realized he needed help. There must be somebody he could call.

"Is there anyone we can ask for help?" Colin asked, barely keeping his voice from shaking.

The officers traded a look. It wasn't encouraging.

"Orange Star keeps sending coded communications. They're offering their assistance."

Colin felt like he could breathe. Orange Star wanted to help. It was exactly what he wanted.

"Olaf would never allow it." The officers nodded.

The weight came crashing back down on Colin. He would never go against Olaf. That would risk alienating his entire army. Who would follow his command then?

"But... but..."

"We're awaiting your decision, commander."

Colin went back to the file about the giant missile. Maybe he could start there and hope for the best. Right then, he missed Olaf and Grit more than anything in the world.

* * *

><p>Lash had a wide smile on her face as she planned out the following month of secret projects and experimental weapons tests. She had a giant white board brought into her lab for the occasion and made good use of it. Ever since she captured the geezer and the scarecrow, Blue Moon had become an endless buffet of testing opportunities. They kid they put in charge didn't stand a chance against her intellect. Colin's track record against her was as successful as Flak's. It was a long string of blunders and defeats. For a split second, she sort of felt sorry for him. Then she remembered next week was Death Ray Monday and she needed a good target to point her laser dish at. Surely there was a memorial or factory district that would work fine. She would have to get her intelligence division on that.<p>

Then someone showed up while she was in the middle of writing Flying Fortress Friday. Without turning around, she rolled her eyes and sighed. She imagined one of her soldiers had come to whine about something.

"I can't leave you guys alone for five seconds-"

As she turned around, she was met with the pale faced Adder and his angry glare. She was very familiar with that expression. It meant he was angry at her for something. That didn't surprise her.

"Oh. Hi Adder," she said with a smile.

"Don't even start with me. I didn't come all this way to play your silly games." He snapped.

"Aw, that's no fun. Then why did you come?"

"I've already figured out your scheme, Lash. You've effectively crippled the Blue Moon Army by capturing Olaf and Grit. Your only opponent is an inexperienced young boy so you could take over this country whenever you want. But instead, you're deliberately dragging out the war. And for what? So you can play with your toys."

Lash had to admit, Adder had cut to the chase in record time. Usually he enjoyed long conversations so he could hear himself talk. He could go on and on when he was in the mood. But today she could see he was on a short fuse. It didn't matter to her.

"More like research and development. Tee hee hee."

"You laugh. But I speak for Hawke when I say you should stop playing around and finish Blue Moon off. You're wasting time."

"Wasting time? Whatever." She scoffed "How do you think I developed the Black Cannon? The Neotank? Field tests. Lots of field tests. Colin doesn't stand a chance, so why should I rush things? I have all sorts of inventions I want to try."

"Name one of your so-called experiments that have been anything but a waste of time."

"The Death Ray." Lash smiled.

"We already have a Death Ray back at Lord Sturm's HQ."

She forgot about that one. Still, she wanted to make one mobile somehow. Maybe she could put one on a Neotank.

"Uh... The Terrain Scrambler! I'm still working on a good name."

"Hawke terminated that project before we even started this campaign." Adder countered.

Lash wracked her mind for a good example. Equipping her soldiers with chemical throwers that flash froze targets was too expensive, but fun. Dusting forests with a compound that turned wood into explosives didn't work like she intended, but the occasional detonating bush was worth it. Next week she planned on strapping high explosives to remote control cars and airplanes. Then she realized it had mostly been a lot of fun with projects that had no practical military application.

"There you have it," Adder said angrily.

"Phhhh!" Lash stuck her tongue out. "When I put a Satellite Laser in space, you're going to be the first one in line."

"I'm serious. If I hear you even look at one of your experiments before you conquer Blue Moon, I'll have you answer to Hawke."

"Tee hee hee. It that supposed to scare me? I can handle Hawke." Lash laughed.

"Then what about Lord Sturm? Conquer Blue Moon. That's an order."

Adder didn't scare Lash, but the mention of Sturm was a buzz kill. As much as she enjoyed working for someone who threw endless resources at her projects with the hopes of harnessing a super weapon, Sturm didn't have fun- he destroyed it. As soon as Adder left she turned back to her white board and realized she'd have to cancel everything. Then one of her soldiers entered the room.

"Mistress Lash, your Orbital Laser Cannon is ready to be sent to the launch site." He told her.

Excitement returned. Shooting lasers at Blue Moon from space is the kind of stuff she lived for. Adder and Sturm were the furthest thing from her mind at the moment.

"Yay! Get it out there quick!"

The soldier ran off. Reality came rolling back, and she realized her mistake. Then she shrugged and thought more about orbital laser cannons. She could always use it on Colin first, and then make them surrender. Or something.

"Whatever. I do what I want."

And Lash went back to the white board.


	3. Even Snakes: Yellow Comet Surrenders

Show Stopper from Advance Wars 2 is a pretty tough mission, especially on Hard Campaign. Losing only gets you tips on how to do better. But what kind of damage would Adder do if he defeated Sonja at such an early stage of the Yellow Comet campaign? Even snakes have their day every now and then.

* * *

><p><strong>Even Snakes Have Their Days: Yellow Comet Surrenders<strong>

Commander Sonja of Yellow Comet tried to keep from shaking but her worried expression said it all. Her first battle with Adder had become desperate. Black Hole had set up a fortress that would become a serious foothold within the Yellow Comet if it was not destroyed soon. But Black Hole's standing forces around the structure were substantial, and setting up an HQ and mobilizing an army had taken too long. Sonja studied the maps and recent intel while shaking her head. Adder's forces were closing in. Battleships patrolled the waterways, Bombers dominated the skies, Medium tanks demolished all resistance. If only she had more time. But she could not wait another day. The fortress had to be destroyed, that much she was sure of.

There were plenty of things to worry about, but the speech she gave her father before taking command loomed in the back of her head. She wanted to prove to him she could lead. He wanted her to stay behind. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had a new uniform on for the occasion. Even Sensei had vouched for her. But now... she was losing badly. On her maps she identified more bases that Black Hole forces had captured. Their deployment power was now way above her own. But she had one last hope before retreating...

"Commander!"

A soldier ran into the tent where Sonja was working. He looked ragged from all the fighting with dirt covering his uniform and face. She looked up and held her breath.

"Our lander was discovered. Submarines sank it halfway to their objective." The soldier reported hurriedly.

Sonja nearly bit her lip. Her best hope at winning had been thwarted. She used the last lander in her force to send infantry divisions to capture Adder's HQ... only they didn't make it.

"Can we send another one?"

The solider shook his head. "Black Hole took the port."

"I've failed..." Sonja said under her breath.

"What's that commander?"

She lowered her head in a mix of frustration and exhaustion. The next few words to come out of her mouth took more effort than she cared to admit.

"We need to retreat. Quickly. Tell all forces to fall back to the capital."

The soldier took a moment to process what he had heard, saluted, and quickly ran off. Sonja had plenty to do in the event of a retreat. There were more than a few important documents that had to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. But she stared at her map feeling bitterness creep into her mind. How could she prove anything to her father after a failure like this? It would take the world to convince him to trust her judgement now.

"What rotten luck." She sighed.

Shouts from outside caught her attention. Then came the explosions. Her heart started to race. Black Hole was already at her HQ? It was impossible. No army was that fast. She would have seen it coming. Her intel was never wrong. And it was then she had to admit she didn't know much about Adder other than he was a pale faced man with bad posture. She rushed into action, grabbing a pistol to defend herself and moved to the entrance of the tent. In doing so she was almost run over by her own soldiers who came to her side.

"They're here! Black Hole!" One shouted.

"So fast! They just... I've never seen a force move so fast!"

"We need to evacuate now!"

The pit of her stomach churned. It had been awhile since she had faced real danger. She forgot her files and documents and ran outside. Hopefully Adder's bombers would destroy any vital intel. She was out of time.

* * *

><p>Adder looked out from his transport copter and admired the trail of destruction his forces caused on their march to the Yellow Comet HQ. His Sidewinder tactic had been a complete success and the enemy forces didn't know what was happening until his army was on top of them. Their ports and bases were occupied and what forces they had running around were quickly squashed under a hail of bombs and cannon fire. As he predicted, the Yellow Comet force would only fail if they tried to attack his fortress. He couldn't help but smile counting all the smouldering enemy tanks along the way. When he got to the enemy HQ he was going to tear it apart for any helpful information.<p>

"Sir!" One of the Black Hole soldiers in the copter began. "We've captured the enemy commander."

"Excellent. Who is it? The old man?"

The soldier paused for radio chatter. "No. It's a... girl? Identified her as Commander Sonja, sir!"

"Kanbei's daughter? The so-called intelligence expert? Delicious."

Sonja? He thought. Today is a good day after all. It was perfect retaliation for his loss against the bag of bones commander known as Sensei. Not to mention Flak had lost control of a mother load of silos he could have made use of a week ago. Those were setbacks compared to a victory like this.

"Have her brought to the Yellow Comet HQ when I arrive." He ordered. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Plans were already spinning in his mind. Not only did he capture the brains behind Yellow Comet's military intelligence... but he also had the daughter of Kanbei. A princess if he wasn't mistaken. Although, he wasn't sure how that worked in Yellow Comet, nor did he care. Leverage was leverage, and he had the best kind. Family.

"Heh heh heh." He had never been in such a good mood before.

Sonja tried to hide her fear the best she could and held her head up high. She had been captured along with dozens of other officers and soldiers from her army. They were being kept in a small circle in the heart of her camp while space suited Black Hole soldiers stood guard. For awhile she tried to struggle against the ropes that kept her hands bound behind her back... but it was no use. And if the Black Hole soldiers caught her they promised to take it out on her men. Meanwhile, her base was being torn apart as the enemy looked for information that would help them out in the future. It was worse than defeat, she had made a mess out of the entire war effort.

Radio chatter overheard from the enemy let her know that Adder was on his way. She didn't know if she could face down the man who outwitted her. But she knew she didn't have a choice, and the last thing she wanted to do was give any sort of satisfaction to Black Hole. She had to stay strong, for her men, her people, and... her father.

"Look alive, worms! Commander Adder has arrived." A Black Hole soldier shouted.

A transport copter flew in and landed in a zone marked by flares. Sonja watched intently as Adder stepped out with mob of soldiers and started toward her. He was just as pale as her reports had said. His skin, his sunken eyes, and his purple hair made him look ghastly. It was going to be harder to stare him down than she thought.

"Heh heh heh. The look of terror on your face is delicious." Adder smiled.

"I'm not afraid of you," Sonja said.

"And a bad liar too. Is there anything else you want to say before I use you to defeat Yellow Comet in one fell swoop?"

"I won't tell you anything."

"Oh I know that. I'm talking about your father. Would he continue to fight knowing his daughter has been captured?"

Sonja felt like her heart stopped. The stern expression on her face melted into despair. Adder grinned watching his enemy fall apart in front of him. By the time she remembered to keep a straight face it was too late. She was so caught up with her failure... she didn't even think about how it could be used against her father. No. He wouldn't dare risk her life for anything. Not even the future of Yellow Comet. She lost her cool and grit her teeth together.

"That would be..."

"Inspired?" Adder interrupted.

"Dishonorable."

"Heh heh heh. I don't think you understand who you're talking to. My orders are to conquer Yellow Comet by any means necessary... not share drinks in a tea ceremony." Adder turned to his escort. "Take her away."

"Sir! What about the rest of them?" A soldier asked.

Adder turned away. "Send them to Lash. I have a surrender to arrange."

The meeting was over. Sonja was plucked from the circle of prisoners and taken to an arriving APC. She could no longer hold her head up but refused to cry.

"Please... father... please... don't... please don't..."

* * *

><p>It took longer than Adder thought for the emperor of Yellow Comet to arrange a meeting. He expected a small delay for their information network to confirm that Sonja had been captured, but after awhile it seemed like they were actively avoiding it. It took so long that Adder forced himself to do some work to speed it along. He used captured radio and TV stations to spread some propaganda around about Lash's pet projects. A few grizzly images leaked here and there from her failed experiments and Kanbei was ready to talk. They agreed on an island located in what Yellow Comet called the 'Sea of Hope'. The irony was not lost on Adder.<p>

He wasn't one for crystal blue seas and beautiful beaches but the faster he got this over with, the better. As part of the meeting terms, he brought a small team of soldiers and Sonja. A month in Black Hole custody had made her uniform look like she had been on the front line, but she wasn't harmed. Lash may have wanted to take Sonja apart, but he needed his bargaining chip in one piece. It was enough that she looked as ashamed as she had ever been in her entire life.

"Sir! Reports of a lander on the other end of the beach. The emperor should be here soon." A soldier notified him.

"Excellent. Let's put an end to this." Adder grinned.

Right on time, Kanbei arrived with Sensei and a few soldiers in tow. He looked worried to death and definitely not as proud as he seemed in all the photos from Black Hole's dossier on him. Every step Kanbei made looked like it took all his power. One hand clenched the scabbard of his sword while the other curled up into a fist. The man was dangerously close to biting his lip and constantly fighting to keep a strong face for everything. At least Adder knew where Sonja got her emotional quirks from. As for Sensei... the bag of bones was as impenetrable as ever, mostly because of his paratrooper goggles.

"Emperor Kanbei, Commander of Yellow Comet, welcome to our little get together," Adder said with a smile.

"Enough. Enough of your speeches..." Kanbei stammered.

No small talk. Excellent. Adder had him right where he wanted him.

"I have your daughter. You won't have to make threats. We haven't harmed her. I-"

"Father, don't give up!" Sonja interrupted with a desperate cry.

Adder rolled his eyes and raised his hand. One of his soldiers moved forward and shoved Sonja as a reminder to shut up. Kanbei as well as his men flinched like they were about to spring into action... but they stayed put.

"I'm still talking." Adder resumed. "If you want her released, my terms are as follows: your complete surrender, as well as the complete surrender of Yellow Comet and all of its armed forces both here and abroad."

"Father, our people are more important!" Sonja yelled again.

"If you don't accept these terms then your daughter has no more use to me and I will turn her over to our interrogators or maybe even Lash. You know Lash, don't you?"

Kanbei shut his eyes and looked away. Adder could tell he was remembering the images released in the propaganda blitz a week ago. It was too hard for the emperor of Yellow Comet to picture his daughter in the same way. He began to shake, although it was hard to tell if it was out of fear or anger. Adder decided on anger.

"How dare you." Kanbei finally answered. "These matters should be decided on the battlefield. To hold a man's daughter captive and make such demands is unspeakable. Where is the honor in it? Now I know why they call you Adder. You are a snake."

Adder had half a mind to clap, but practiced some restraint. Kanbei did not sound like a man who was about to surrender. Everything could still fall through in an instant.

"Yes, you've deciphered my codename. Well done." Adder sighed.

"You are a snake who deserves to be cut in two."

Kanbei removed his sword and scabbard from his waist and stepped forward. Adder put his hand in his pocket and felt the handgun he had hidden away there. Soldiers from both sides tensed up and kept their hands close to their rifles. Time was slow. And when Kanbei was close enough to strike... he dropped to his knees and offered up his sword to Adder.

"...but I cannot imagine my daughter as a casualty. I cannot." Kanbei whispered.

Sonja could no longer watch. She turned away and began to cry silently. But Adder was unimpressed.

"I don't want your sword..."

One of his soldiers quickly stepped forward.

"Sir! Offering his sword is his declaration of surrender. His weapon is his will to fight."

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Adder snapped. The mood was ruined.

"No sir! But you did assign me to observe and examine Yellow Comet culture and military doctrine. I meant no offense sir!"

Adder's expression folded up into a glare but despite some rough edges to an otherwise flawless plan... he remembered what he came to do in the first place. He snatched up Kanbei's sword. Victory. But something was missing. It was a bit anticlimactic for his tastes. No one else was around to witness his accomplishment except a few of his soldiers. Their sole purpose was to serve his command, not sing his praises. No, he would need something dramatic.

"So... it's really over is it?" Sensei despaired.

"No. Not yet. There's one more thing to take care of." Adder smiled.

* * *

><p>With Yellow Comet totally under Black Hole control, Adder had a whole array of TV stations, radio towers, and satellite networks at his command. He started production on a televised surrender at the Imperial Palace in Yellow Comet's capital. Kanbei, Sonja, and anyone else with a say in their government were going to sign a formal surrender to Black Hole in front of their entire country and the rest of the world. He had some of his best trained men shooting video cameras instead of rifles and managing the rivers of cords connecting lighting and microphones. Everything was going to take place right in the throne room. With such a big production, it didn't take long for someone to ask...<p>

"Hey, Adder. Is this really necessary?" Flak said.

Adder did not welcome Flak's curiosity considering he was so busy making sure everything was just right for the worldwide broadcast. And on top of that, Lash was there too. He didn't remember inviting them.

"That's where our definitions of victory differ." Adder caught himself. "I mean, we have nothing in common. But where you're satisfied with explosions and mayhem as military victory, I'm thinking of the big picture."

"Ha. You gonna shoot a movie here?" Lash laughed.

Adder ignored her. "It's not enough to defeat an army. You have to crush their morale. Squeeze every last drop of pride and hope from their identity. That includes civilians too."

"Sounds like some one is getting greedy. Tee hee hee!"

"Yeah Adder. While you're putting on a TV show, Hawke is trying to put down Green Earth. You think he's gonna like that?" Flak added.

"Heh heh heh. What do I have to fear? You botched the Orange Star invasion, Flak."

"You sure did, Flak!" Lash giggled.

"And you failed to crush Blue Moon between your pathetic games, Lash. You have nothing to laugh about. But me? I defeated Yellow Comet. I've earned the right to enjoy my victory."

Flak and Lash went silent.

"If you ask me, you two should be helping Hawke. Or making up for your mistakes in Orange Star and Blue Moon."

"But Adder... Hawke put us under your command!" Flak protested.

Adder smiled. "Oh did he? In that case, make yourselves useful, and get out of my face!"

His subordinates cleared out and things went much smoother. They were twenty minutes away from broadcasting Yellow Comet's defeat to the rest of the world.

"Sir, the emperor and the princess are ready." The control room reported.

"Heh heh heh. Send them in."

To make things worse for his enemies, Adder decided to make them dress in their traditional clothes. It involved a lot of fancy robes and headpieces they haven't worn in ages, but the end result was something ridiculous all the same. Sonja was first to enter, dressed in a green kimono and decorative chopsticks in her hair. She kept her head down and her eyes on the floor as she moved to the table where the signing would take place. Kanbei was next, in a decorative yellow robe and a hat that must have been seen to be believed. Adder had gotten used to people calling him ugly, but he wished they had this as a point of comparison.

"Ten minutes!"

He supposed they would in due time. Emperor Kanbei and his daughter Sonja would have the honor of signing their surrender to Black Hole. Both of them didn't look as beaten as they first did on the beach. They were good about avoiding eye contact.

"I'm sorry Sonja. Sensei advised me to fight on despite your capture... but I couldn't carry on without you. You are my beloved daughter," Kanbei said suddenly.

"No... forgive me father. I underestimated the enemy. I put us all in this position. I should have listened to you."

Adder didn't care about touching moments unfolding between a father and daughter. But he couldn't think of anything quick and they were close to broadcast.

"Two minutes!"

"Remember our script," Adder said while facing the camera.

Kanbei and Sonja refused to answer.

"You should thank me for this opportunity. If I was Lord Sturm, I would lay waste to your forces and burn your entire continent until only ash was left. Not even the worms would come up out of the ground."

The soldier behind camera number one started a ten count.

"Whatever happens," Sonja spoke up. "We will never truly surrender."

Adder forced a smile that should have been a glare.

"You say anything to the contrary and I'll execute both of you. Won't that be excellent news to your country?"

The soldier behind camera number one began a silent three count with his fingers. Adder took a moment to cheer himself up. He had been playing second banana to Hawke since the war began and babysitting Flak and Lash like they were two years old. For once, in his life, something had gone his way. The stage lights went on and they were live.

"To mark the end of Yellow Comet's..."

Adder's voice trailed off as he noticed shadows moving behind the camera crew. They were soldiers in red and blue uniforms. He barely had time to wonder how the hell they had gotten in when the gunfire started. A part of him knew it was almost too good to be true.


End file.
